Tony Bennett is Still Gaga About Music

How legendary is Tony Bennett, who performs tonight at Pala Casino and was Frank Sinatra’s favorite singer?

So legendary that some of pop music’s biggest young stars, including Lady Gaga, John Mayer and the late Amy Winehouse, sound like awed children when they discuss collaborating with him on “Duets II,” his recent chart-topping album and PBS “Great Performances” TV special.

“I’m freaking out and just really honored to be here. I’m a student of Tony,” says Gaga, whose ebullient duet with him on “The Lady Is a Tramp” is a highlight of the album.

“As a young artist,” she continues in the PBS special, “I’m so nervous about sounding good (singing) next to Tony. I have to remember that I have to mean (each word I sing), because he means it, every time.”

Winehouse, whose duet of “Body and Soul” with Bennett was her last recording before she died last summer, recalls going with her parents to see him at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

“We went both nights!” she gushes. “He could sing the phone book and it would sound fantastic. … Singing together is just beyond (a dream come true).”

Bennett, who scored his first hit in 1951, is no less quick to sing the praises of his “Duets II” recording partners. The 17-song album teams him with everyone from Norah Jones and Carrie Underwood to Michael Bublé and Josh Groban. It also features such veteran stars as Willie Nelson, Natalie Cole, k.d. lang, Alejandro Sanz, Queen Latifah and Faith Hill.

“They were all very prepared and had their songs memorized,” Bennett said, speaking from his New York home. “A lot of them learned to sing in performing arts schools, which is a big step forward from when people like Rosemary Clooney and me were coming up as young singers. … It makes me realize that the performers on ‘Duets II’ will be around for a long time.”

He chuckled.

“I couldn’t get over how professional Lady Gaga was,” Bennett said. “After the recording session, she thanked the whole crew in the studio for being so nice to her. She is one phenomenal gal, as far as I’m concerned. She sings wonderfully and she can sing great jazz.”

Read the full interview and more on utsandiego.com